The forecast called for up to five inches of snow in metro Atlanta this weekend, but all we got were temps in the teens.

This is an easy soup for snow and no-snow days. It starts with a store-bought soup mix.

Ingredients:

Potato Soup Mix

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced green, red, or yellow pepper

1 pound turkey or beef kielbasa sausage, sliced

large carton chicken stock (3 cups)

5 cups of water

2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or large stock pot. Saute sausage, then add diced peppers and onion and brown in the drippings. Remove from pan. Prepare soup according to package, but use three cups of chicken stock and five cups of water. Over medium heat, whisk the soup until smooth. Pour in the sausage and vegetables.

Cook the entire soup for 15-20 minutes. You can use 8 cups of water if you don’t have chicken stock. Top with a dollop of sour cream, chives, or grated cheese.

Place 6 ice cream sandwiches in the container. Cut them to fit if you have to. Spread 1/2 Cool Whip on top. Place the remaining sandwiches next. Pour the fudge or caramel (or use both, one on each layer) on top. Finish with the remaining Cool Whip. Sprinkle chopped candy cars or crushed cookies on top. Freeze at least an hour to set. (Note. I used FatBoy ice cream sandwiches so I had only one layer since they’re super thick. No, there’s nothing wrong with eating an ice cream sandwich named FatBoy. And yes, my oven is still broken.)

Chicken Bacon Quesadillas

Brown bacon then set aside to drain on a paper towel. Use some of the bacon grease and sauté the diced red onion and red pepper.

Spray top and bottom of the quesadilla/grill. Place one flour tortilla on it. Sprinkle cheeses, chicken, bacon, onion and red pepper on the tortilla. Top with another flour tortilla and press until lightly browned. Cut into 6-8 triangles and serve with sour cream, tomatoes and lettuce, and black beans*.

*Sauté some garlic, red onion, and red pepper in the leftover bacon grease and add to canned black beans. Salt and pepper to taste. So good!

Note: If you don’t have a quesadilla maker, you can use a Panini press/grill. You can also use a non-stick pan on the stove, but remember to flip it to brown both sides.

I usually save the crock pot for soups and stews in the colder months, but desperate times call for new crock pot recipes.

Crock Pot Chicken Tortillas

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

1 package of frozen Italian mix veggies (this is in the freezer case at Publix)

1 small can of diced green chilis

1 packet of fajita seasoning

Place the above ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Put a heaping helping in a warmed flour tortilla and top with lettuce, tomatoes, black beans, and cheese.

Crock Pot Barbecue

Ingredients:

2 lbs pork

1 bottle of good barbecue sauce

1/2 onion, diced

Cook the ingredients together on low for 6-7 hours. Use 1/2 of the barbecue sauce at the beginning, and add as needed. Shred the meat with two forks and serve on toasted buns.

Time for pool parties, barbecues, and other gatherings where showing up empty-handed is frowned upon.

This pasta salad is awesome as a side. Add grilled chicken and it’s a meal. You can vary the ingredients, but I wouldn’t omit the bacon. Unless you’re a vegetarian. Or you’re satisfied with things at half-flavor. In other words, ditch the broccoli. Keep the bacon.

Ranch Bacon Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

Tri-color pasta noodles, cooked according to the box directions, drained well

2 cups fresh broccoli, cut in bite-size pieces

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1/3 cup red pepper, diced

4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped

Dressing:

1 package of ranch dressing (dry package)

3/4 to 1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon milk

salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the first five ingredients in a large bowl. Stir together the ingredients for the dressing in a separate bowl. Pour the dressing mixture over the pasta and stir. Chill for a couple of hours or overnight.

I posted this last Easter. I’m still just a wannabe, but this Easter I made easy peasy Banana Pudding. Happy Easter!

I’m a Cake Baker Wannabe. My problem is I lack two qualities necessary to bake a beautiful and delicious cake—infinite patience and laser focus.

I saw this beautiful Strawberry Mousse Cakein Southern Living and decided to give it a try. It was a bit complicated with three separate lists of ingredients and directions for: 1) cake, 2) mousse filling, and 3) frosting. Usually this is the sort of thing that sends me running back to something simple like triple chocolate cupcakes, but for some reason I was up for a challenge.

And to look at it, you’d think it was a huge success.

But looks can be deceiving.

Oddly, you can learn a thing or two while baking.

And not just that when faced with the choice to: a) follow the directions and chill the mousse for at least 30 minutes before spreading it on each cake layer and b) putting the mousse in the freezer for only 10 minutes, you should choose a.

Because underneath this pretty cake, was this

What a mess!

It’s amazing what a little (make that a lot) of frosting can do. It can cover a multitude of mistakes.

And so I am reminded this Easter that my Savior looks at me with all of my cracks, lack of patience, and poor focus and HE loves me anyway.

Happy Easter!

And another lesson I learned was it really only matters how it tastes, and that was great! Three sticks of butter and heavy whipping cream have a way of doing that!

smoked Gouda, sliced (find this in the Deli or special cheese section)

bacon strips, cooked

sourdough or focaccia bread slices

butter

non-stick spray

tomato soup (optional for dipping)

Spray griddle or pan with non-stick spray. Butter both sides of the bread and lightly grill one side. Flip the bread slices and top one slice with 4-5 slices of cheese and 2-3 strips of bacon. Cover with the other slice of bread and press. Flip and press the other side.